Rotating luggage latch



July 2, 1968 H. BLOSS ROTATING LUGGAGE LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.20, 1965 y m Mm 4E O im o m a |J/ W Q m N HINT Y w lhl.. a l2 im,

July 2, 1968 H. BLoss 3,390,555

ROTATING LUGGAGE LATCH Filed Dec. 20, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORHevmon B\o55 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,390,555 ROTATING LUGGAGELATCH Herman Bloss, Orange, Conn., assiguor to The Seymour ProductsCorporation, Seymour, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec. 20,1965, Ser. No. 514,900 6 Claims. (Cl. 70-69) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSUREThis invention relates to a luggage latch of a luggage case or the likehaving a cover or lid hinged to the body section for closing the latterand for other uses requiring means to releasably fasten separable partsone to another and, in particular, comprising a stationary member havinga pivotal member mounted thereon, the pivotal member being provided witha guide rail which engages another member to close two covers of adevice together.

This invention relates to a latching device and more particularly to aluggage latch for a luggage case or a like container of the kind havinga cover or lid hinged to a body section for closing the latter, and forother uses requiring means to releasably fasten separable parts one toanother.

Due to the tierce price competition between lock manufacturers and thecounter-requirements of luggage manufacturers for lower cost locks, asituation has been created such that for a lock manufacturer to remaincompetitive, new and improved lock constructions must be developed inorder to reduce manufacturing costs while at the same time maintainingquality. Not only must the new lock constructions be economical, butthey must also be so constructed that they are essentially failure-free.

In view of the foregoing, applicant has invented a new and improved lockconstruction which utilizes a minimum of parts and is fabricated suchthat the major operating parts are formed with guideways, recesses,openings and positioning means. In this manner a locking mechanism isprovided which is susceptible to mass-production techniques, requiring aminimum of hand labor to complete the fabrication of this device.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved luggage latch which is both simple in construction andeconomical to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved latchmaking maximum use of metal stampings throughout to permit a latchingdevice to be fabricated with a minimum of hand labor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved latchhaving a scissor-like construction, such that opposing portions of asuitcase are drawn tightly together upon closure thereof.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new andimproved latch construction having an integral guide for a locking boltformed therein to permit a rotating portion of the lock to be secured ina locked position Still further objects of the invention will in part beobvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing thefeatures, properties and relation of elements which will be exemplifiedin the apparatus hereinafter described and the scope of the inventionwill be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same referencenumerals 'ice designate like or corresponding parts in the several viewsand in which FIG. 1 is a front view of the latch mounted on the body andcover or lid portion of the piece of luggage;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. l, but with the body portion and thelid portion of the luggage separated;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the latch in a closed position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the latching device of the invention isgenerally shown at 10 and includes a pivot bar 11 mounted by a pluralityof screws to a flap 12 of a suitcase or other type of luggage. An anchorplate 13 for mating with the pivot bar 11 is mounted to a bottom flap 14of the same suitcase. Pivotally connected to the pivot bar 11 is apivotal member 16 having a cover 17 mounted thereon. The cover 17includes a keyway 18 for permitting a key (not shown) to enter andposition a locking bar to secure the pivotal member in the positionshown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows the flaps 12 and 14 separated and thepivotal member 16 and its cover 17 in an upright position prior to theanchor plate 13 engaging the pivot bar. To initially set the position ofthe pivot bar 11 with respect to the anchor plate 13, there is provideda catch 20 on the pivot bar and a socket indentation 21 on the anchorplate 13. Thus, to close the suitcase, the two iiaps 12 and 14 arebrought together such that the catch enters the socket 21 and thepivotal member 16 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 1. As thepivotal member 16 rotates it is adapted to receive a roller 22 mountedon a pin 23 supported by the anchor plate 13, such that an edge of ap 14is lifted to engage an edge of ap 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 7, there is shown in more detail theoperable parts of the latch of the invention. FIG. 4 shows the positionof the pivotal member 16 prior to its being rotated and FIG. 5 shows theposition of the pivotal member after it has been rotated to secure theaps 12 and 14 together. As shown in these figures, the pivotal member 16is secured to the cover 17 by bending down the cover regions 17a so thatthey extend over the flanges 16a16d of the pivotal member 16. In thismanner an ornamental cover may be easily secured to the pivotal membercontaining the operating parts of the device.

The cover 17 has a passageway 27 defined therein to permit the roller 22to extend into the interior of the cover and overlie a portion of thepivotal member 16. Necessarily, the pivotal member 16 has its flanges16a and 161) so deiined as to permit the roller 22 to enter therein. Itis to be understood that although portions of the cover are bent over toretain the flanges of the pivotal member, the device could beconstructed such that the cover may be welded to the pivotal member orheld together in any other suitable manner, although bending portions ofthe cover over the flanges is preferred because of the low cost inmanufacturing the same.

The rotatable member 16 includes a guiderail 30 which is preferablyformed from the flat portion of the rotatable member material utilizingstamping fabricating techniques. The -guiderail is preferably at a rightangle to the main fiat surface of the rotatable member 16. An endportion 31 of the rail 30 is preferably rolled over to insure thatroller 22, when engaged by the guiderail as the rotatable member ispivoted in a scissoring action,

is securely held within the guiderail 30 and cannot move away from orslide oit` the guiderail. The rotatable member 16 is also formed with arecessed guide portion 32 permitting a locking bolt 33 to slide therein.This recessed guide portion additionally includes an opening 35 forpermitting the tip of the key utilized to be positioned therein, suchthat it may rotate and move the locking bolt by engaging camming surface37 of the locking bolt 33. The locking bolt 33 is fabricated so as toinclude a raised detent portion 39 which acts as a spring and stopmechanism. The tip of detent 39 includes a boss 40 which frictionallycontacts the surface of the recessed guide portion 32. A plurality ofstops in the at portion of the guide 32 are provided so that while thelocking bolt is moved it will snap in and out of stops 41 in the surfaceof the guide 32 in order to securely hold the locking bolt in placebetween one `of two positions. The end of guide 32 is open such thattips 33a and 3317 of locking lbolt 33 can be moved into and out of theguide region formed by guide 32. Additionally, the rotatable member 16is formed with a collar recess 44 so that a pin can be recessed belowthe outside surface of the rotatable member as it is secured to thepivot bar 11.

Preferably positioned on top of the collar recess 44 is a spring element46 having a raised detent portion 47 with a raised boss 48 forfrictionally sliding against the interior surface of the rotatablemember. The rotatable member 16 preferably includes the two additionalstops 50 and 51, such as recesses or punched-out holes, for receivingthe boss 48 in order to securely establish stops for the rotatablemember when it is in either a vertical or horizontal position. The otherend of spring 46 has a hook arrangement for engaging a flange 56 formedfrom the pivot bar 11. In this manner the spring is securely atiixed sothat it will not rotate with the rotatable member. The pivot bar alsoincludes a recess 60 which abuts the other side of the spring 46. Thepin 61 passes through the collar 44 and recess 60 and through a hole inthe spring 46 to securely hold the combination of elements together insuch a manner that the pivotal member 16 is free to rotate so thatroller 22 Will be engaged by the rail 30 and lifted slightly to insure aclose t between the flaps 12 and 14. This is accomplished since theguiderail portion is constructed such that the distance from the pivotpoint of the pivotal member to the end of the rail 30 is greater thanthe distance that the roller finally sits in after the pivot member isrotated to a horizontal position.

In order to lock the pivotal member in a horizontal position, a key isinserted in the keyway 18 to engage the cam surface 37 in order toposition the locking bolt so that its tips 33a and 33b will surround aportion of the ange 56.

Thus, applicant has provided a lock having a relatively small number ofparts and having integrally fabricated portions formed from each of theelements so that the device may be constructed by utilizingmass-production techniques. The rotatable member as formed includes aguide means for the locking bar as well as means providing stops for thelocking bar and stops for the spring between the rotatable member andthe pivot bar itself. Furthermore, the rotatable member is formed withat least one integral guiderail which is so constructed that it willengage and guide a roller attached to the anchor bar and raise itslightly to ensure that the iiaps of the luggage are firmly secured.Additionally, applicant has constructed the pivot bar such that itincludes a flange formed from the pivot bar itself and which not onlyretains a friction spring in place but also provides a means for alocking bolt to secure the rotatable member in a horizontal position 4bythe action of a key against a camming surface of the locking bolt.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are eiciently attained andsine@ C @lain changes may Ibe made in the foregoing construction withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

VvIt is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A latching mechanism for two relatively movable closure members,comprising a pivot bar adapted to be secured to a marginal edge portionof one of said closure members, an anchor bar having a projectionextending from one side thereof, said anchor bar adapted to be securedto a marginal edge portion of the other of said closure members, saidanchor bar and said pivot bar positioned on said members so that an edgeof one may engage an edge of the other, a pivotal member journalled tosaid pivot :bar so as to be rotatable with a scissoring movementrelative to the pivot bar, a guide rail formed within said pivotalmember and extending at substantially a'right angle away from the mainbody of the pivotal member, said guide rail having a curvilinear surfaceover a portion thereof, and said guide rail positioned on the pivotalmember so that when the pivotal member is rotated the projection on theanchor bar may ride thereon and be raised thereby, a locking barguideway formed from said pivotal member, said locking bar positionedfor sliding movement in said guideway and having an end insert cut outtherefrom to form a slot therein, and a raised flanged bar formed fromsaid pivot bar and positioned to receive the slot of the locking barthereabout when the pivotal member has been completely rotated to engagethe projection of the anchor bar and the locking bar has been positionedby a key.

2. A latching -mechanism for two relatively movable closure members,comprising a pivot bar adapted to be secured to a marginal edge portionof one of said closure members, an anchor bar having a projectionextending from one side thereof, said anchor `bar adapted to be securedto a marginal edge portion of the other of said closure members, saidanchor bar and said pivot bar positioned on said members so that an edgeof one may engage an edge of the other, a pivotal member journalled tosaid pivot bar so as to be rotatable with a scissoring movement relativeto the pivot bar, a guide rail formed within said pivotal member andextending at substantially a right angle away from the main body of thepivotal member, said guide rail having a curvilinear surface over aportion thereof, and said guide rail positioned on the Ipivotal memberso that when the pivotal member is rotated the projection on the anchorbar may ride thereon and be raised thereby, said guide rail alsoincluding a rolled-over portion for limiting the sidewise movement ofthe anchor projection as it moves on the track.

3. A latching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said locking barincludes a raised detent having a recessed portion on a tip thereof, andwherein said guide rail includes a recessed portion receiving meansformed therefrom for establishing at least one stop for the locking bar.

4. A latching mechanism for two relatively movable closure members,comprising a pivot bar adapted to be secured to a marginal edge portionof one of said closure members, an anchor bar having a projectionextending from one side thereof, said anchor bar adapted to be securedto a marginal edge portion of the other of said closure members, saidanchor bar and said pivot bar positioned on said members so that an edgeof one may engage an edge of the other, a pivotal member journalled tosaid pivot bar so as to be rotatable with a scissoring movement relativeto the -pivot bar, a guide rail formed from said pivotal member andextending at substantially a right angle away from the main body of thepivotal member, said guide rail having a curvilinear surface over aportion thereof, and said guide rail positioned on the pivotal member sothat when the pivotal member is r0- tated the projection on the anchorbar may ride thereon and be raised thereby, a raised ange formed from aportion of said pivot bar and including a resilient member having oneend thereof positioned about said flange and against a surface of thepivot bar, wherein the other end of the resilient member includes anindent portion in frictional contact with the surface of the pivotalmember, and wherein said pivotal member has a plurality of stops thereonfor receiving said indent portion of said resilient member.

5. A latching mechanism for two relatively movable closure members,comprising a pivot bar adapted to be secured to a marginal edge portionof one of said closure members, an anchor bar having a projectionextending from one side thereof, said anchor bar adapted to be securedto a marginal edge portion of the other of said closure members, saidanchor bar and said pivot bar positioned on said members so that an edgeof one may engage an edge of the other, a pivotal member journalled tosaid pivot bar so as to be rotatable with a scissoring movement relativeto the pivot bar, a guide rail formed from said pivotal member andextending at substantially a right angle away from the main body of thepivotal member, said guide rail having a curvilinear surface over aportion thereof, and said guide rail positioned on the pivotal member sothat when the pivotal member is rotated the projection on the anchor barmay ride thereon and be raised thereby, a resilient member having oneend thereof in sliding contact with said pivot bar and the other endthereof having a slot cut out therefrom, said slot adapted to surroundat least a portion of said pivot bar.

6. A latching mechanism for two relatively movable closure members,comprising a pivot bar adapted to be secured to a marginal edge portionof one of said closure members, an anchor bar having a projectionextending from one side thereof, said anchor bar adapted to be securedto a marginal edge portion of the other of said closure members, saidanchor bar and said pivot bar positioned on said members so that an edgeof one may engage an edge of the other, a pivotal member journalled tosaid pivot bar so as to be rotatable with a scissoring movement relativeto the -pivot bar, a guide rail formed from said pivotal member andextending at substantially a right angle away from the main body of thepivotal member, said guide rail having a curvilenar surface over aportion thereof, and said guide rail positioned on the pivotal member sothat when the pivotal member is rotated the projection on the anchor barmay ride thereon and be raised thereby, means formed in the anchor barand the pivot bar for initially establishing the lateral position ofoneI with respect to the other when the closure members are positionedtogether, a locking bar, a cover mounted over said pivotal member suchthat said locking bar is positioned between the bottom surface of saidguideway and the interior surface ot said cover, said cover including akeyway and said locking bar including a cam surface for engagement witha key.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,596,561 8/1926 Tueckmantel190-56 3,020,742 2/1962 Gehrie 70-69 3,020,743 2/1962 Gehrie 70-69FOREIGN PATENTS 1,291,634 3/1962 France.

' MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

E. I. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner.

